Optical system

ABSTRACT

An optical system includes a fixed module, a movable module and a driving assembly. The movable module moves relative to the fixed module, and the movable module includes a lens unit which includes a first lens, a second lens, a first side wall and a second side wall. The first side wall has a first surface, which directly contacts the second lens, and the second side wall directly contacts the first lens. A portion of the driving assembly is directly disposed on the lens unit, configured to drive the lens unit to move along an optical axis of the first lens. The first side wall further has a second surface opposite to the first surface, and the second surface directly contacts the portion of the driving assembly. The thickness of the first side wall is different from the thickness of the second side wall.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/532,117, filed Jul. 13, 2017, and China Patent Application No.201810607026.0, filed Jun. 13, 2018, the entirety of which areincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to an optical system, and moreparticularly to an optical system that has an integrated lens unit.

Description of the Related Art

As technology has progressed, many kinds of electronic devices such astablet computers and smartphones have begun to include the functionalityof digital photography or video recording. A user can operate theelectronic device to capture various images with an optical system (suchas a camera module) that is included in the electronic device, andtherefore electronic devices equipped with camera modules have graduallybecome popular.

Today's design of electronic devices continues to move toward the trendof miniaturization so that the various components of the camera moduleor its structure must also be continuously reduced, so as to achieve thepurpose of miniaturization. In general, the camera module has a lensholder configured to hold a lens unit, and the lens unit accommodates aplurality of optical lenses. However, although the existing lens holderand lens units can achieve the aforementioned functions of photographingor video recording, they still cannot meet all the needs ofminiaturization.

Therefore, how to design a miniaturized camera module is a topicnowadays that needs to be discussed and solved.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a miniaturized opticalsystem installed in an electronic device to solve the above problems.

According to some embodiments of the disclosure, an optical system isprovided and includes a fixed module, a movable module and a drivingassembly. The movable module moves relative to the fixed module, and themovable module includes a lens unit. The lens unit includes a firstlens, a second lens, a first side wall and a second side wall. The firstside wall has a first surface, which is in direct contact with thesecond lens, and the second side wall is in direct contact with thefirst lens. A portion of the driving assembly is directly disposed onthe lens unit, configured to drive the lens unit to move along anoptical axis of the first lens. The first side wall further has a secondsurface, opposite to the first surface, and the second surface is indirect contact with the portion of the driving assembly. The thicknessof the first side wall is different from the thickness of the secondside wall.

According to some embodiments, the thickness of the first side wall isgreater than the thickness of the second side wall. According to someembodiments, the second lens is partially exposed from the second sidewall. According to some embodiments, the lens unit further includes anelectrical connecting portion and a surface. The electrical connectingportion is disposed on the surface, and the surface faces a lightincident end of the optical axis. According to some embodiments, theelectrical connecting portion is disposed on the first side wall.According to some embodiments, the optical system further includes anelastic member, and the elastic member includes an electrical contact.The electrical connecting portion is electrically connected to theelectrical contact, and a gap is formed between the electrical contactand the lens unit along the optical axis.

According to some embodiments, the electrical connecting portionincludes a protruding portion extending along the optical axis, and theheight of the protruding portion along the optical axis is greater thanthe gap. According to some embodiments, the elastic member furtherincludes a narrow portion, and the narrow portion is adjacent to theelectrical contact. According to some embodiments, the optical systemfurther includes an elastic member disposed on the lens unit, and whenviewed along the optical axis, the elastic member partially overlaps thesecond lens.

According to some embodiments, the optical system further includes aposition-sensing assembly, the position-sensing assembly includes amagnetic sensing unit and a magnetic element, and the magnetic elementis disposed on the second side wall.

According to some embodiments, the optical system further includes acircuit unit, the magnetic sensing unit is disposed on the circuit unit,and the circuit unit includes a first side surface and a second sidesurface respectively corresponding to the first side wall and the secondside wall.

According to some embodiments, the magnetic sensing unit is disposed onthe second side surface, and the circuit unit further includes anelectrical pin disposed on the first side surface. According to someembodiments, the optical system further includes a frame, and the frameincludes a recessed portion configured to receive a portion of thecircuit unit. According to some embodiments, the frame further includesa lateral stop portion, and the lateral stop portion extends along adirection of the optical axis and corresponds to the second side wall.

According to some embodiments, the fixed module includes a base, theoptical system further includes a plurality of metal members disposed inthe base, and at least one metal member is electrically connected to thedriving assembly. According to some embodiments, the base furtherincludes a plurality of protruding columns that extends along adirection of the optical axis, at least one of the metal members isburied in a corresponding protruding column, and the metal member buriedin the protruding column is partially exposed from the protrudingcolumn. According to some embodiments, the fixed module further includesa casing, and some of the metal members are securely connected to thecasing.

According to some embodiments, the optical system further includes aframe and a circuit unit, and the circuit unit is disposed in the frameand electrically connected to the driving assembly.

According to some embodiments, the fixed module further includes acasing, the casing includes a first side and a second side, the firstside is opposite to the second side, the first side and the second sideare parallel to the optical axis, and the distance between the opticalaxis and the first side is not equal to the distance between the opticalaxis and the second side. According to some embodiments, the drivingassembly is disposed between the first side and the first side wall, andthe distance between the optical axis and the first side is greater thanthe distance between the optical axis and the second side. According tosome embodiments, the optical system further includes a guiding assemblyfor guiding the lens unit to move along a first direction relative tothe fixed module. When viewed along the direction of the optical axis,the guiding assembly partially overlaps the second lens.

The present disclosure provides an optical system that is installed inan electronic device and is configured to capture images. In variousembodiments of the present disclosure, the optical system only has alens unit configured to hold a plurality of lenses without additionallyutilizing an optical member holder to hold the aforementioned lenses.Therefore, the overall size of the optical system can be reduced, so asto achieve the purpose of miniaturization. In addition, the lens unitholds the lenses with different sizes. For example, the uppermostportion of the lens unit (the light incident end) holds a smaller lens,so that other structures can be formed on the upper surface of the lensunit for connecting other members of the optical system (such as thefirst elastic member, the first coil and the second coil). Thus, theoverall size of the optical system can be further reduced, so as toachieve the purpose of miniaturization.

Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the opticalsystem can include a plurality of metal members which is formed in thebase by the technology of Molded Interconnect Device, and a part of themetal members is exposed from the base to be electrically connected tothe first elastic member and the driving assembly (such as the firstcoil and the second coil). In addition, the metal members that are notelectrically connected to the first elastic member can enhance thestructural strength of the base.

In addition, in another embodiment of the present disclosure, theoptical system can include a guiding assembly (such as a plurality ofballs) disposed between the lens unit and the protruding columns of thebase, so that the lens unit can be guided by the guiding assembly tosmoothly move along the direction of the optical axis relative to thebase.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forthin the description which follows, and, in part, will be obvious from thedescription, or can be learned by practice of the principles disclosedherein. The features and advantages of the disclosure can be realizedand obtained by means of the instruments and combinations pointed out inthe appended claims. These and other features of the disclosure willbecome more fully apparent from the following description and appendedclaims, or can be learned by the practice of the principles set forthherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an optical system according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded diagram of the optical system in FIG. 1according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view along line A-A′ in FIG. 1according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a lens unit according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a partial structural diagram of the optical system accordingto the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged diagram of FIG. 5 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a top view of a first elastic member and the lensesaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of the optical system after removingthe casing according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of the optical system in another viewaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 shows a top view of the optical system after removing the casingand the frame according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 shows a schematic diagram of an optical system after removing acasing according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 shows a partial structural diagram of the optical system in FIG.11 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 shows a top view of an optical system according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 shows an exploded diagram of the optical system according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 shows a top view of a partial structure of the optical systemaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description, for the purposes of explanation,numerous specific details and embodiments are set forth in order toprovide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. The specificelements and configurations described in the following detaileddescription are set forth in order to clearly describe the presentdisclosure. It will be apparent, however, that the exemplary embodimentsset forth herein are used merely for the purpose of illustration, andthe inventive concept can be embodied in various forms without beinglimited to those exemplary embodiments. In addition, the drawings ofdifferent embodiments can use like and/or corresponding numerals todenote like and/or corresponding elements in order to clearly describethe present disclosure. However, the use of like and/or correspondingnumerals in the drawings of different embodiments does not suggest anycorrelation between different embodiments. The directional terms, suchas “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “front” or “rear”, are referencedirections for accompanying drawings. Therefore, using the directionalterms is for description instead of limiting the disclosure.

In this specification, relative expressions are used. For example,“lower”, “bottom”, “higher” or “top” are used to describe the positionof one element relative to another. It should be appreciated that if adevice is flipped upside down, an element at a “lower” side will becomean element at a “higher” side.

The terms “about” and “substantially” typically mean +/−20% of thestated value, more typically +/−10% of the stated value and even moretypically +/−5% of the stated value. The stated value of the presentdisclosure is an approximate value. When there is no specificdescription, the stated value includes the meaning of “about” or“substantially”.

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of anoptical system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,FIG. 2 shows an exploded diagram of the optical system 100 according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 3 shows a schematiccross-sectional view along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure. The optical system 100 can be anoptical camera system and can be configured to hold and drive an opticalmember. The optical system 100 can be installed in different electronicdevices or portable electronic devices, such as a smartphone or a tabletcomputer, for allowing a user to perform the image capturing function.In this embodiment, the optical system 100 can be a voice coil motor(VCM) with an auto-focusing (AF) function, but it is not limitedthereto. In other embodiments, the optical system 100 can also performthe functions of auto-focusing and optical image stabilization (OIS).

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the opticalsystem 100 mainly includes a casing 102, a frame 104, a first elasticmember 106, a lens unit 108, and a first magnet M11, a second magnetM12, a first coil CL11, a second coil CL12, a second elastic member 110,a base 112, a circuit unit 114, a magnetic element MGS, and a magneticsensing unit 116. In this embodiment, the casing 102, the frame 104, andthe base 112 can be designed to collectively form a fixed module, andthe lens unit 108 can be defined as a movable module that moves relativeto the fixed module. In addition, it should be noted that in otherembodiments, the members in the fixed module can also be adjusted to bemovable (that is, they can be included in the movable module) accordingto practical requirements. For example, the frame 104 can be designed tobe movable in other embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 102 has a hollow structure, and a casingopening 1021 is formed on the casing 102. A base opening 1121 is formedon the base 112. The center of the casing opening 1021 corresponds to anoptical axis O of a plurality of lenses which are held by the lens unit108. The base opening 1121 corresponds to an image sensing element (nowshown in the figures) disposed below the base 112. External light canenter the casing 102 through the casing opening 1021, and then to bereceived by the image sensing element (not shown) after passing throughthe lenses and the base opening 1121, so as to generate a digital imagesignal.

In addition, the casing 102 can include an accommodating space 1023 foraccommodating the frame 104, the lens unit 108, the first elastic member106, the first magnet M11, the second magnet M12, the first coil CL11,the second coils CL12, the circuit unit 114, and so on. In thisembodiment, the first magnet M11, the second magnet M12, the first coilCL11, and the second coil CL12 can be designed to collectively form adriving assembly. The driving assembly is electrically connected to thecircuit unit 114 and can drive the lens unit 108 to move relative to thefixed module, for example, to move relative to the base 112.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the frame 104includes an opening 1041 and two grooves 1043. The opening 1041 isconfigured to receive the lens unit 108, and the grooves 1043 areconfigured to respectively accommodate the first magnet M11 and thesecond magnet M12. However, the number of the grooves 1043 and magnetsis not limited to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the shape of thefirst magnet M11 and the second magnet M12 can include a long-stripstructure, but it is not limited thereto. For example, they can havedifferent shapes in other embodiments. In addition, the first magnet M11or the second magnet M12 can be a multi-pole magnet.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the frame 104 is securely disposed on aninner wall surface of the casing 102, and the first magnet M11 and thesecond magnet M12 can also be securely disposed on the inner wallsurface of the casing 102. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in thisembodiment, the first coil CL11 and the second coil CL12 can be windingcoils and are disposed on two opposite sides of the lens unit 108. Inthis embodiment, the first coil CL11 corresponds to the first magnetM11, and the second coil CL12 corresponds to the second magnet M12. Whenthe first coil CL11 and the second coil CL12 are provided withelectricity, the first coil CL11 and the second coil CL12 respectivelyact with the first magnet M11 and the second magnet M12 to generate anelectromagnetic driving force, to drive the lens unit 108 and the lensesheld thereby to move along a direction of the optical axis O (the Z-axisdirection) relative to the base 112. In addition, it should be notedthat, because the first coil CL11 and the second coil CL12 provided inthe present disclosure are respectively disposed on opposite sides ofthe lens unit 108, the magnetic interference problem to other elementsinside the optical system 100 can be reduced.

Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a top view of a lens unit108 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 4, the lens unit 108 includes an opening 1086, and the lens unit108 can include two first side walls 1081 which are disposed opposite toeach other and two second side walls 1082 which are disposed opposite toeach other. In this embodiment, the first side wall 1081 has a thicknessT1, and the thickness T1 can be defined as the distance between the edgeof the opening 1086 of the lens unit 108 and the outermost edge of thefirst side wall 1081 (the first side wall 1081 can include a fixingprotrusion 1084). In addition, the second side wall 1082 has a thicknessT2, and the thickness T2 can be defined as the distance between the edgeof the opening 1086 of the lens unit 108 and the outermost edge of thesecond side wall 1082. The thickness T1 is different from the thicknessT2. For example, the thickness T1 is greater than the thickness T2.Based on the design that the first side wall 1081 and the second sidewall 1082 have different thicknesses, the width of the lens unit 108along the Y-axis direction can be reduced, so as to achieve the purposeof miniaturizing the optical system 100.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lens unit 108 is configured to holdone or more lenses. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the lens unit 108holds a first lens LS1, a second lens LS2, a third lens LS3, a fourthlens LS4, a fifth lens LS5 and a sixth lens. LS6, but the number oflenses held by the lens unit 108 is not limited to this embodiment. Inthis embodiment, the inner surfaces of the first side wall 1081 and thesecond side wall 1082 are in direct contact with the plurality oflenses. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the first side wall 1081includes a first surface 1081A and a second surface 1081B opposite tothe first surface 1081A. The first surface 1081A is in direct contactwith the first lens LS1 and the second lens LS2, and the second surface1081B is in contact with the second coil CL12. It should be noted thatonly the first side wall 1081 located between the second lens LS2 andthe second coil CL12. That is, the lens unit 108 in this disclosure doesnot need to additionally use an optical member holder to hold theaforementioned lenses, so that the overall size of lens unit 108 can bereduced. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, because the thickness T2 ofthe second side wall 1082 is smaller, a portion of the second lens LS2held by the lens unit 108 is exposed from the second side wall 1082.

Please refer to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, thelens unit 108 can further include a plurality of upper stoppers 108U anda plurality of lower stoppers 108D. In this embodiment, the lens unit108 includes four upper stoppers 108U and four lower stoppers 108D. Whenthe lens unit 108 is moved along the Z-axis direction, the upperstoppers 108U are in contact with the casing 102, to constrain the lensunit 108 in an upper limit position, and when the lens unit 108 is movedalong the −Z-axis direction, the lower stoppers 108D are in contact withthe base 112, to constrain the lens unit 108 in a lower limit position.It should be noted that the upper stoppers 108U and the lower stoppers108D in this embodiment are symmetrically formed on the lens unit 108.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the lens unit 108 furtherincludes an accommodating slot 1083 configured to accommodate a magneticelement MGS. In addition, the lens unit 108 further includes a pluralityof fixing protrusions 1084 disposed on two opposite first side walls1081 of the lens unit 108 and extended along the X-axis direction, sothat the first coil CL11 and the second coil CL12 can be wound on thecorresponding fixing protrusion 1084. In addition, the lens unit 108 canfurther include two protruding portions 1085 disposed on the two firstside walls 1081. More specifically, the protruding portion 1085 isdisposed on a surface (an upper surface 108S) of the lens unit 108, andthe upper surface 108S faces the light incident end of the optical axisO. In this embodiment, the protruding portion 1085 can be a protrudingcolumn which extends from the upper surface 108S along the direction ofthe optical axis O, and one end of the first coil CL11 and the secondcoil CL12 can be connected to the corresponding protruding portion 1085.In this embodiment, the end and the protruding portion 1085 can bedefined to collectively form an electrical connecting portion. It shouldbe noted that the protruding portion 1085 is not limited to theprotruding column. In other embodiments, the protruding portion 1085 canalso be a welding point, such as a metal welding point.

Next, please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a partial structuraldiagram of the optical system 100 according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the first elastic member 106 andthe second elastic member 110 can be a metal sheet. In this embodiment,the first elastic member 106 can have two separate spring sheetportions, and the second elastic member 110 can also have two separatespring sheet portions. It should be noted that the number of the springsheet portions of the first elastic member 106 and the second elasticmember 110 is not limited to this embodiment.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, four protruding columns 1122and an accommodating groove 1123 are formed on the base 112. Theprotruding columns 1122 extend along the direction of the optical axisO. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer portion of the first elastic member 106is affixed on the four protruding columns 1122. Similarly, the outerportion of the second elastic member 110 is affixed on the accommodatinggroove 1123. In addition, the inner portions of the first elastic member106 and the second elastic member 110 are respectively connected to theupper side and the lower side of the lens unit 108 so that the lens unit108 can be suspended in the base 112 (as shown in FIG. 5).

Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the opticalsystem 100 can include a plurality of metal members disposed in the base112. For example, the base 112 is made of a plastic material, and themetal member is formed in the base 112 by the technology of MoldedInterconnect Device (MID). Specifically, in this embodiment, the opticalsystem 100 includes two metal members 118 and three metal members 120,but the number of metal members is not limited to this embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 5, the metal members 118 is buried in the protrudingcolumn 1122, and a portion of the metal member 118 is exposed from thecorresponding protruding column 1122. As shown in FIG. 5, the portion ofthe metal member 118 which is exposed from the protruding column 1122 isdirectly connected to the first elastic member 106. In addition, asshown in FIG. 2, the metal members 120 are embedded in the base 112, anda portion of the metal member 120 is exposed from the base 112. Itshould be noted that the overall structural strength of the base 112 canbe further enhanced by placing the metal members 120 in the base 112.

Please refer to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged diagramof FIG. 5 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 6, the inner portion of the first elastic member 106 hasan electrical contact 1061, four narrow portions 1062, two connectingportions 1063, and two protruding portions 1064. The narrow portions1062 are adjacent to the electrical contact 1061, and the electricalcontact 1061 is connected to the two connecting portions 1063 by thefour narrow portions 1062. In addition, the protruding portions 1064 areconnected to the electrical contact 1061, and the electrical contact1061 and the protruding portions 1064 are adjacent to the protrudingportion 1085. In this embodiment, a terminal CLT of the second coil CL12is wound on the protruding portion 1085, and the electrical contact 1061and the protruding portions 1064 can be connected to the terminal CLTvia a solder SD. That is, the terminal CLT on the protruding portion1085 is electrically connected to the electrical contact 1061 and theprotruding portions 1064 of the first elastic member 106. Thus, thesecond coil CL12 of the driving assembly can be further electricallyconnected to the metal member 118 described above by the first elasticmember 106.

It should be noted that a gap GP is formed between the electricalcontact 1061 and the upper surface 108S of the lens unit 108 along thedirection of the optical axis O (the Z-axis direction), and theprotruding portion 1085 has a height H along the direction of theoptical axis O (the Z-axis direction). In this embodiment, the height Hof the protruding portion 1085 is greater than the gap GP. Based on thestructural design of the first elastic member 106 in this embodiment,many advantages can be achieved. For example, the electrical contact1061 and the protruding portions 1064 are adjacent to the terminal CLT,so the area of soldering can be increased (when the solder SD is heatedand melted, the solder SD can be attached to the upper surface and thelower surface of the electrical contact 1061 and can be attached to theprotruding portions 1064 and the terminal CLT). Moreover, because theelectrical contact 1061 are not in direct contact with the upper surface108S of the lens unit 108, the high temperature generated by thesoldering does not destroy the structure of the lens unit 108 when theelectrical contact 1061 is soldered to the terminal CLT. In addition,because the electrical contact 1061 is connected to the connectingportions 1063 by the narrow portions 1062, the temperature is not easilyconducted to the connecting portions 1063 when soldering the electricalcontact 1061, and the structure of the lens unit 108 below theconnecting portions 1063 can also be prevented from being damaged.

Please refer to FIG. 7, which shows a top view of the first elasticmember 106 and the lenses according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, when viewed along the direction of theoptical axis O of the first lens LS1, the first elastic member 106partially overlaps with the second lens LS2. Specifically, theconnecting portions 1063 of the first elastic member 106 partiallyoverlap the second lens LS2 and the fifth lens LS5.

Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 8. FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram ofthe optical system 100 after removing the casing 102 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the figures, the frame104 further includes two lateral stop portions 1044 that extend alongthe direction of the optical axis O, and the lateral stop portion 1044faces the second side wall 1082. In this embodiment, the lateral stopportions 1044 can constrain the movement of the lens unit 108 along theY-axis direction so as to prevent the lens unit 108 from colliding withother members in the optical system 100 when the lens unit 108 isshaken.

In this embodiment, the circuit unit 114 is a flexible printed circuitboard, and the circuit unit 114 can be bent around the protrudingcolumns 1122 as shown in FIG. 8. After the circuit unit 114 is bent, thecircuit unit 114 includes a first side surface 1141 and a second sidesurface 1142, and the first side surface 1141 and the second sidesurface 1142 respectively face the first side wall 1081 and the secondside wall 1082 (the first side wall 1081 is not shown in FIG. 8 due tothe viewing angle). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the frame 104 canfurther include a recessed portion 1045 for receiving a portion of thefirst side surface 1141 of the circuit unit 114. It should be notedthat, in this embodiment, when the portion of the first side surface1141 of the circuit unit 114 is accommodated in the recessed portion1045, the first side surface 1141 is substantially coplanar with theframe 104 along the X-axis direction. In addition, in this embodiment,the circuit unit 114 can include four electrical pins 1143 disposed onthe first side surface 1141 so that the optical system 100 can beelectrically connected to an external circuit through the electricalpins 1143.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, the circuit unit 114 can furtherinclude two electrical contacts 1144, and the ends of the two metalmembers 118 which are exposed from the base 112 are adjacent to theelectrical contacts 1144 of the circuit unit 114. Therefore, the ends ofthe two metal members 118 can be connected to the electrical contacts1144 by soldering so that the metal members 118 are electricallyconnected to the circuit unit 114. Thus, the first coil CL11 (or thesecond coil CL12) can be electrically connected to the circuit unit 114through the first elastic member 106 and the metal members 118 insequence.

Furthermore, please refer to FIG. 9, which shows a schematic diagram ofthe optical system 100 in another view according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 9, when the casing 102 coversthe base 112, the exposed ends of the metal members 120 can also besecurely connected to the casing 102 by soldering so that the casing 102can be more securely connected to the casing 102. Therefore, the casing112 does not easily separate from the base 112.

Referring to FIG. 10, which shows a top view of the optical system 100after removing the casing 102 and the frame 104 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the magneticelement MGS and the magnetic sensing unit 116 in the optical system 100can be defined to collectively form a position-sensing assembly, and themagnetic sensing unit 116 senses the movement of the magnetic elementMGS relative to the magnetic sensing unit 116 according to variation ofthe magnetic field of the magnetic element MGS. In this embodiment, themagnetic element MGS is disposed in the accommodating slot 1083 on thesecond side wall 1082, and the magnetic sensing unit 116 is disposed onthe second side surface 1142 of the circuit unit 114. Because theposition-sensing assembly (the magnetic sensing unit 116 and themagnetic element MGS) and the driving assembly (such as the first magnetM11 or the second magnet M12) are disposed on different sides of thelens unit 108, the magnetic interference between the driving assemblyand the position-sensing assembly can be reduced.

Please refer to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12. FIG. 11 shows a schematic diagramof an optical system 100A after removing a casing according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 12 shows a partialstructural diagram of the optical system 100A in FIG. 11 according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure. The optical system 100A issimilar to the optical system 100 described above, and the differencebetween the two embodiments is that the circuit unit in the opticalsystem 100A is disposed in a frame 104A. That is, as shown in FIG. 11,the circuit unit is integrated in the frame 104A. For example, the wiresin the circuit unit are formed in the frame 104A by using the technologyof Molded Interconnect Device (MID). Similarly, in this embodiment, theframe 104A also exposes the plurality of electrical pins 1143 of thecircuit unit, and the electrical pins 1143 are configured to beelectrically connected to an external circuit, such as beingelectrically connected to a main board of a portable electronic device.

In addition, the frame 104A has the groove 1043 mentioned above on oneside and a notch 1046 on the opposite side. The groove 1043 and thenotch 1046 respectively accommodate the first magnet M11 and the secondmagnet M12. In addition, please refer to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 only shows theframe 104A and the first elastic member 106. As shown in FIG. 12, twoelectrical contacts 1145 of the circuit unit can be formed on the frame104A, and the two electrical contacts 1145 are respectively located attwo corners of the frame 104A. The two electrical contacts 1145 areconfigured to be electrically connected to the two spring sheet portionsof the first elastic member 106. In addition, another electrical contact(not shown in the figure) can also be formed on the frame 104A, so thatthe magnetic sensing unit 116 is electrically connected to thiselectrical contact. It should be noted that the wires of the circuitunit in this embodiment can also be directly formed on the inner surfaceof the frame 104A.

Similar to the optical system 100 of the previous embodiment, becausethe two spring sheet portions of the first elastic member 106 arerespectively welded to the terminals of the first coil CL11 and thesecond coil CL12 (not shown in FIG. 11 due to the viewing angle), thefirst coil CL11 and the second coil CL12 are also electrically connectedto the circuit units in the frame 104A via the electrical contacts 1145.Thus, the first coil CL11 and the second coil CL12 can be driven by thecircuit unit in the frame 104A.

Please refer to FIG. 13 to FIG. 15. FIG. 13 shows a top view of anoptical system 200 according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure, FIG. 14 shows an exploded diagram of the optical system 200according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 15 showsa top view of a partial structure of the optical system 200 according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, as shownin FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the optical system 200 includes a casing 202, aframe 204, a lens unit 208, a magnet M13, a coil CL13, a base 212, acircuit unit 214, a plate body 215, a magnetic sensing unit 216 and aguiding assembly. In this embodiment, the casing 202 can be combinedwith the base 212 as a fixed module, and the lens unit 208 can bedefined as a movable module that moves relative to the fixed module.

Similar to the casing 102 of the previous embodiment, the casing 202includes a casing opening 2021 and an accommodating space 2023. Inaddition, in this embodiment, the casing 202 further includes a firstside 2027 and a second side 2028 opposite to the first side 2027, andthe first side 2027 and the second side 2028 are parallel to the opticalaxis O. In addition, the distance between the optical axis O and thefirst side 2027 is not equal to the distance between the optical axis Oand the second side 2028.

In this embodiment, the frame 204 is securely disposed on the inner wallsurface of the casing 202. That is, the frame 204 can also be includedin the fixed module. In addition, similar to the previous embodiments,the frame 204 can also have two lateral stop portions 2044 configured toconstrain the movement of the lens unit 208 along the Y-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 14, similar to the previous embodiment, the lens unit208 is configured to hold multiple lenses, such as the first lens LS1and the second lens LS2. In this embodiment, the lens unit 208 includesa first side wall 2081 and a second side wall 2082 respectivelycorresponding to the first side 2027 and the second side 2028, and themagnet M13 is securely disposed on the first side wall 2081. Inaddition, in this embodiment, the base 212 has two protruding columns2122 and two protruding columns 2124, and the protruding columns 2122and the protruding columns 2124 extend along the direction of theoptical axis O. Similar to the previous embodiment, the optical system200 can include a plurality of metal members 250 disposed in the base212. For example, the base 212 is made of a plastic material, and themetal members 250 are formed in the base 212 by the technology of MoldedInterconnect Device (MID).

In this embodiment, the plate body 215 can be a magnetic conductiveplate, the coil CL13 and the magnetic sensing unit 216 are disposed onthe plate body 215, and the coil CL13 surrounds the magnetic sensingunit 216. As shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the plate body 215 issecurely connected to the circuit unit 214, and the circuit unit 214 issecurely disposed between the two protruding columns 2122. The circuitunit 214 can be a flexible printed circuit board and has four electricalpins 2143 configured to be electrically connected to an externalcircuit. As shown in FIG. 15, when the circuit unit 214 supplieselectricity to the coil CL13, the coil CL13 can act with the magnet M13to generate an electromagnetic driving force, to drive the lens unit 208and the lenses to move along a first direction relative to the base 212.In this embodiment, the first direction can be the direction of theoptical axis O (the Z-axis direction).

In this embodiment, the driving assembly defined by the magnet M13 andthe coil CL13 is disposed between the first side 2027 of the casing 202and the first side wall 2081 of the lens unit 208, and there is nodriving assembly provided between the second side 2028 and the secondside walls 2082. Therefore, the width of the optical system 200 alongthe Y-axis direction can be further reduced, so as to achieve thepurpose of miniaturization.

In addition, it should be noted that, as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, aguiding slot 2125 can be formed on each protruding column 2122, and twogrooves 2086 can be correspondingly formed on the first side wall 2081of the lens unit 208. In this embodiment, the guiding assembly caninclude four rolling members 260, such as balls, and the rolling member260 is received between the guiding slot 2125 and the groove 2086 sothat the lens unit 208 can smoothly move along the optical axis Orelative to the base 212. In this embodiment, the rolling members 260are disposed between two adjacent corners of the lens unit 208 and thebase 212, but they are not limited thereto. For example, in otherembodiments, the rolling members 260 can also be disposed between fourcorners of the lens unit 208 and the base 212 so that the lens unit 208can move more smoothly relative to the base 212.

In other embodiments, the guiding slots 2125 can also be formed on theframe 204 so that the rolling members 260 are disposed between theguiding slots 2125 on the frame 204 and the grooves 2086. Therefore,when viewed along the direction of the optical axis O, the rollingmembers 260 can partially overlap the second lens LS2, which means thatthe structural design of the lens unit 208 of the present embodiment canfurther reduce the length of the optical system 200 along the X-axisdirection. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, there is a distance D1formed between the optical axis O and the first side 2027, an anotherdistance D2 is formed between the optical axis O and the second side2028, and the distance D1 is greater than the distance D2. Therefore,the size of the optical system 200 along the X-axis direction can bereduced, so as to achieve the purpose of miniaturization.

In conclusion, the present disclosure provides an optical system that isinstalled in an electronic device and is configured to capture images.In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the optical systemonly has a lens unit configured to hold a plurality of lenses withoutadditionally utilizing an optical member holder to hold theaforementioned lenses. Therefore, the overall size of the optical systemcan be reduced, so as to achieve the purpose of miniaturization. Inaddition, the lens unit holds the lenses with different sizes. Forexample, the uppermost portion of the lens unit (the light incident end)holds a smaller lens, so that other structures can be formed on theupper surface of the lens unit for connecting other members of theoptical system (such as the first elastic member 106, the first coilCL11, and the second coil CL12). Thus, the overall size of the opticalsystem can be further reduced, so as to achieve the purpose ofminiaturization.

Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the opticalsystem can include a plurality of metal members which is formed in thebase by the technology of Molded Interconnect Device, and a part of themetal members is exposed from the base to be electrically connected tothe first elastic member 106 and the driving assembly (such as the firstcoil CL11 and the second coil CL12). In addition, the metal members thatare not electrically connected to the first elastic member 106 canenhance the structural strength of the base.

In addition, in another embodiment of the present disclosure, theoptical system can include a guiding assembly (such as a plurality ofballs) disposed between the lens unit and the protruding columns of thebase, so that the lens unit can be guided by the guiding assembly tosmoothly move along the direction of the optical axis O relative to thebase.

Although the embodiments and their advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the embodiments as defined by the appended claims. Moreover,the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited tothe particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture,composition of matter, means, methods, and steps described in thespecification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readilyappreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing orlater to be developed, that perform substantially the same function orachieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodimentsdescribed herein can be utilized according to the disclosure.Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within theirscope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter,means, methods, or steps. In addition, each claim constitutes a separateembodiment, and the combination of various claims and embodiments arewithin the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An optical system, comprising: a fixed module; amovable module, movable relative to the fixed module, the movable modulecomprising a lens unit, and the lens unit comprising: a first lens; asecond lens; a first side wall, comprising a first surface, wherein thefirst surface is in direct contact with the second lens; and a secondside wall, being in direct contact with the first lens; and a drivingassembly, a portion of the driving assembly being directly disposed onthe lens unit, configured to drive the lens unit to move along anoptical axis of the first lens; wherein the first side wall furthercomprises a second surface opposite to the first surface, the secondsurface is in direct contact with the portion of the driving assembly,and a thickness of the first side wall is different from a thickness ofthe second side wall.
 2. The optical system as claimed in claim 1,wherein the thickness of the first side wall is greater than thethickness of the second side wall.
 3. The optical system as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the second lens is partially exposed from the secondside wall.
 4. The optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lensunit further comprises an electrical connecting portion and a surface,the electrical connecting portion is disposed on the surface, and thesurface faces a light incident end of the optical axis.
 5. The opticalsystem as claimed in claim 4, wherein the electrical connecting portionis disposed on the first side wall.
 6. The optical system as claimed inclaim 4, wherein the optical system further comprises an elastic member,and the elastic member includes an electrical contact, wherein theelectrical connecting portion is electrically connected to theelectrical contact, and a gap is formed between the electrical contactand the lens unit along the optical axis.
 7. The optical system asclaimed in claim 6, wherein the electrical connecting portion includes aprotruding portion extending along the optical axis, and a height of theprotruding portion along the optical axis is greater than the gap. 8.The optical system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the elastic memberfurther includes a narrow portion, and the narrow portion is adjacent tothe electrical contact.
 9. The optical system as claimed in claim 1,wherein the optical system further comprises an elastic member disposedon the lens unit, and when viewed along the optical axis, the elasticmember partially overlaps the second lens.
 10. The optical system asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the optical system further comprises aposition-sensing assembly, the position-sensing assembly includes amagnetic sensing unit and a magnetic element, and the magnetic elementis disposed on the second side wall.
 11. The optical system as claimedin claim 10, wherein the optical system further comprises a circuitunit, the magnetic sensing unit is disposed on the circuit unit, and thecircuit unit includes a first side surface and a second side surfacerespectively corresponding to the first side wall and the second sidewall.
 12. The optical system as claimed in claim 11, wherein themagnetic sensing unit is disposed on the second side surface, and thecircuit unit further includes an electrical pin disposed on the firstside surface.
 13. The optical system as claimed in claim 12, wherein theoptical system further comprises a frame, and the frame includes arecessed portion configured to receive a portion of the circuit unit.14. The optical system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the frame furtherincludes a lateral stop portion, and the lateral stop portion extendsalong a direction of the optical axis and corresponds to the second sidewall.
 15. The optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixedmodule includes a base, the optical system further comprises a pluralityof metal members disposed in the base, and at least one metal member iselectrically connected to the driving assembly.
 16. The optical systemas claimed in claim 15, wherein the base further includes a plurality ofprotruding columns that extends along a direction of the optical axis,at least one of the metal members is buried in the correspondingprotruding column, and the metal member buried in the protruding columnis partially exposed from the protruding column.
 17. The optical systemas claimed in claim 16, wherein the fixed module further comprises acasing, and some of the metal members are securely connected to thecasing.
 18. The optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein theoptical system further comprises a frame and a circuit unit, and thecircuit unit is disposed in the frame and electrically connected to thedriving assembly.
 19. The optical system as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe fixed module further comprises a casing, the casing includes a firstside and a second side, the first side is opposite to the second side,the first side and the second side are parallel to the optical axis, anda distance between the optical axis and the first side is not equal to adistance between the optical axis and the second side.
 20. The opticalsystem as claimed in claim 19, wherein the driving assembly is disposedbetween the first side and the first side wall, and the distance betweenthe optical axis and the first side is greater than the distance betweenthe optical axis and the second side.
 21. The optical system as claimedin claim 1, wherein the optical system further comprises a guidingassembly for guiding the lens unit to move along a first directionrelative to the fixed module, wherein when viewed along a direction ofthe optical axis, the guiding assembly partially overlaps the secondlens.